World Bank: Football field of forest lost every two seconds

This sector of forest in the state of Para in northern Brazil was illegally felled in 2009.

Story highlights

World Bank: Illegal logging now a "global epidemic" with a football field lost every two seconds

Estimates that illegal logging accounts for as much as 90% of all timber felled each year

Illegal forestry generates as much as $15 billion a year worldwide, run by organized crime

A study found that the probability of punishment is less than 0.1%

A new World Bank study on illegal logging reports that a football field of forest is clear-cut every two seconds around the globe and the problem is now a "global epidemic."

The report estimates that illegal logging accounts for as much as 90% of all timber felled each year, generating between $10 to $15 billion. The report says the logging is mostly controlled by organized crime, and ill-gotten gains are used to pay corrupt government officials at all levels to turn a blind eye.

"Forestry's criminal justice system is broken. Despite compelling data and evidence showing that illegal logging is a worldwide epidemic, most forest crimes go undetected, unreported, or are ignored," says the 56-page report released Tuesday. "All too often, investigations—in the rare event that they do take place—are amateurish and inconclusive."

"Large-scale illegal operations are carried out by sophisticated criminal networks, and law enforcement actions need to be focused on the 'masterminds' behind these networks—and the high-level corrupt officials who enable and protect them," the report says. "Pursuing these important targets through the criminal justice system will require creativity and a clear focus on those criminal justice rules and procedures that prove most effective."